367. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of applications received under the croí cónaithe (towns) fund; the number of successful applications; and the number of administrative and support staff processing these applications, by local authority, in each of the years 2021, 2022 and 2023, in tabular form. [36043/24]

391. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of persons who have applied for the vacant property refurbishment grant in each month since its establishment; the number who have been refused a grant; the number to whom money has been paid out; and the number waiting for a determination on their application, in tabular form. [36601/24]

415. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for a list of all programmes funded by his Department aimed at tackling vacancy and dereliction, with the number of homes brought back into use through each of these schemes in each of the years 2020 to 2023 and to date in 2024, in tabular form. [36833/24]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 367, 391 and 415 together.

Addressing vacancy and making efficient use of existing housing stock is a key priority for Government, as set out in Pathway 4 of Housing for All.

The Vacant Homes Action Plan, which I launched in January 2023, outlines the significant progress that has been made in addressing vacancy, along with the actions that are being pursued to return vacant properties back into use as homes. Earlier this year, I launched the Vacant Homes Action Plan, Progress Report April 2024 which sets out what has been achieved in 2023 and the further steps that will be taken in 2024.Information on the number of properties brought back into use through the various vacancy initiatives is provided in the table attached.

The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, introduced in July 2022 under the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund, supports bringing vacant and derelict properties back into use as homes. A grant of up to €50,000 is available for the refurbishment of vacant properties for occupation as a principal private residence and for properties which will be made available for rent. Where the refurbishment costs are expected to exceed the standard grant of up to €50,000, a top-up grant amount of up to €20,000 is available where the property is confirmed by the applicant to be derelict or where the property is already on the local authority’s Derelict Sites Register, bringing the total grant available for a derelict property up to a maximum of €70,000.

My Department publishes data on the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant on its website on a quarterly basis, which includes a breakdown of the grants paid per local authority and the total amount of grants paid. This data can be accessed at the following link: Vacancy grant statistics .

In January 2022, my Department communicated with local authorities outlining that annual funding, made available since 2018 to support the work of a Vacant Homes Office including a Vacant Homes Officer (VHO), would be increased from €50,000 to €60,000 per annum, from mid-2022.

This supports the commitment in Housing for All to ensure that VHOs are full-time. The provision of central funding reinforces the capacity of local authorities, including through the important role of VHOs, to ensure a dedicated focus on tackling vacancy and dereliction with a view to increasing the opportunities for residential development.

All 31 local authorities now have a full time, dedicated VHO in place.

The role of the VHO in each local authority is:

• To actively promote and lead the uptake within the local authority of various initiatives, schemes and funding programmes to address vacancy and bring vacant properties into residential use;

• To actively engage with owners of vacant properties and other relevant stakeholders and promote use of relevant schemes and supports to bring vacant properties into use;

• To collect, monitor and assess vacancy data locally and use that data to actively engage with property owners and promote schemes to encourage activation of properties; and

• Play a communication, promotion and advisory role both internally within the local authority and externally as a contact point for members of the public and key interested parties on vacant homes/properties.

VHOs across local authorities are supported in their work by the Vacant Homes Unit in my Department, which provides information and facilitates dissemination of information and best practice, including through the VHO Network.

In addition my Department has provided funding of €180,000 to support each local authority in their administration of the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant Scheme.

Requests from local authorities for further resources to support the administration of the grant are being considered by my Department on the basis of a business cases made by the individual local authority, including detail of current allocation and co-ordination of resources dealing with vacancy and dereliction, the roles to be undertaken by the resources requested and the expected outputs, with applications considered on a case by case basis.

While my Department has a role in strategic workforce planning within the local government sector, Section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001 provides that each Chief Executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authority for which he or she is responsible